Using military action to 'free' Strait of Hormuz unrealistic: Macron

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that using military force to "free" the Strait of Hormuz is unrealistic, according to local media reports.

"It has never been the option we have chosen, and we consider it unrealistic," Macron said during a visit to South Korea, as quoted by French news channel BFM TV.

He stressed that military action cannot provide a "lasting solution" to the Iranian nuclear issue.

"If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation could deteriorate again within a few months or a few years," he warned.

Responding to accusations by US President Donald Trump, Macron reiterated that military actions against Iran "are not our operation" and were decided unilaterally by the United States and Israel.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that "France wouldn't let planes headed to Israel, loaded with military supplies, fly over French territory," describing the country as "very unhelpful" and warning that the United States would "remember."